Fed grant for $127M will help pay for measures to make Borman Expressway safer

A $127 million federal grant, announced this week, will help the Indiana Department of Transportation implement ways to improve safety and reduce congestion on the Borman Expressway.

The Borman — the name for Interstates 80 and 94 in Lake County — is Indiana’s busiest interstate corridor, carrying more than 200,000 vehicles a day from the Illinois state line to Interstate 65.

The grant from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, known as MEGA, will pay for more than half of the anticipated $212.5 million cost of the Borman FlexRoad project.

FlexRoad would use traffic-management strategies to improve the highway’s capacity without widening the road.

INDOT conducted five Borman FlexRoad public meetings in Northwest Indiana in 2021 and 2022.

The MEGA program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is for “large, complex projects that are likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility or safety benefits,” a news release from Gov. Eric Holcomb’s office said.

Last year, only nine projects across the country received MEGA funding.

“FlexRoad represents a transformational opportunity to improve mobility and safety while also providing better access to employment hubs and destinations for those who live near the corridor,” Holcomb said in his office’s news release.

INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith added, in the same news release, that the Borman’s traffic volumes are forecast to increase nearly 20% by 2040.

“FlexRoad allows INDOT to optimize traffic flow and improve safety while minimizing impacts to nearby communities,” Smith said.

U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, issued a news release saying he was “thrilled” with the grant award.

“Let us continue to collaborate and ensure that this invaluable project is implemented as expeditiously as possible to benefit all residents, commuters and commerce in our region,” Mrvan said.

FlexRoad strategies selected in INDOT’s initial study include dynamic shoulder lanes, variable speed limits, ramp metering, lane control and queue warning systems.

Dynamic shoulder lanes allow vehicles to use the highway shoulders, as directed by overhead signs, during peak times or in response to incidents.

Variable speed limits, also using overhead signs, would adjust speed limits in response to incidents, work zones or weather conditions.

Ramp metering would use traffic signals on entrance ramps to control how often vehicles enter the highway.

Dynamic lane control would open or close individual highway lanes with overhead signs, and queue warning would have messages to alert drivers that slowdowns are ahead.

Those alternatives are undergoing detailed analysis during the National Environmental Policy Act study underway now, which will identify a preferred alternative or combination of them.

INDOT expects to seek contractors’ bids for the project in fall 2025, with construction to begin in 2026.